Mechanism for extracting oil from metal chips



. G. F. ROPER. Mechanism for Extracting Oil from Metal Chips.

.No. 225,949 Patented Mar. 30, 1880.

N-FETERB, PflOTD-LITHOGRAFHEJL WASHINGTON, D C.

lJNrrn CHARLES F. ROPER, OF HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT.

MECHANISM FOR EXTRACTING OIL FROM METAL CHIPS.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 225,949, dated March 30, 1880.

' Application filed Dccember15, 1879.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES F. RoPER, of Hartford, county of Hartford, State of Connecticut, have invented an Improvementin Mechanism for Extracting Oil from Metal Chips, 850., of which the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification.

This invention relates to mechanism for extracting oil from metal chips.

It is well known in metaLturning, as in the manufacture of screws and in threading or turning metal for many other purposes in the arts, that the metal where the cutting-tool meets it is kept covered with oil, the oil flowing upon the metal from a reservoir suitably placed for such purpose.

In this way a very large quantity of oil is annually consumed and lost, and many manufacturers, because of this serious loss, use the cheapest possible oils when other and more expensive oils would better answer the purpose.

The metal chips and turnings fall into a tray with the oil as it flows from the article being worked upon, and are subsequently gathered from the said trays and piled in bins, where, subjected to heat, they are allowed to stand and drain until all the oil which will so flow off settles at the bottom of the bin, when the chips and turnings are remelted.

It is well known that these chips and turn- .ings are frequently very small and almost always considerably curled or twisted, which enables them to hold in contact with them the heavy oil usually employed in this class of work, thereby preventing the said oil draining or running off, as it would do if the pieces of metal were straight and standing on end.

By experiment I have ascertained that I may, by mechanical action, remove from the said metal chips and turnings all the oil contained upon them, and practically save nearly all the oil discharged upon the metal being cut or turned, to be reused, which in many factories results in very material savings and greatly reduces the oil-bills.

Figure 1 represents, in vertical section, a machine such as I have devised and employed for removing oil from metal chips and turnings, the dotted lines showing the direction of its drifing-belt and the loose or idle pulleys over which it runs; and Fig. 2 is a top view of Fig. l, with the top of the rotatable chipholder removed.

The chip-holder is composed of an impervious metal shell, to, flaring directly upward and outward from its bottom. The metal chips covered with oil are placed in this shell. This chip holder is attached to a vertical rotatable shaft or spindle, I), having its bearings 3 4 in a post or standard, 0, at the upper end of which is a bowl-like guard, d, having an oil-outlet c. This spindle b has a pulley, f, over which is to be extended a band, 9, as shown in dot-ted lines, it running over two idle-pulleys, as at h h, the said belt being driven rapidly from any suitable pulley on the main shafting in the room where the machine is used.

The upper end of the spindle has, as herein shown, a hole through it to receive a key, 41, the said key also extending, as shown, through the hub 5 of the cover It, the latter thereby also turning with the said spindle.

When the cover is placed upon the spindle the key so locks and holds it in such position with relation to the upper edge of the chip-holder as to leave a small annular discharge-openin 1, between the cover and chip-holder, out of which the oil is thrown byv the rapid rotation of the spindle and chip-holder, the oil readily moving upward and outward .along over the inclined bottom 2, and, passing out through the said discharge-opening, it is thrown against the interior of the guard ci, within whose bowl;

it is caught and held until it is desired to/discharge it.

The metal chips and turnings are in many instances quite small, are hard,and are,by centrifugal motion of the chip-holder, thrown outward with so much force that were the chip-holder merely perforated with holes, as is common in centrifugal baskets, the said chips would be forced and jammed into the said holes to such an extent as to seriously interfere with the operation of it, if it did not make such a form of machine utterly worthless for extracting oil from metal chips.

The metal chips cannot be dissolved and washed out, as with sugar.

By having the oil delivered over the top edge of the chip-holder through a small annular discharge, 1, the upper wall of which is the edge of the under side of the cover,it is obvious, as the cover is taken from the spindle or from above the chip-holder to remove the metal chips or turnings, that the discharge-opening is always cleaned 0t any pieces of metal j am m ed or thrown therein when the oil was being thrown off by centrifugal action.

This machine runs rapidly, causes a complete removal of all the oil from the metal chips and turnings, leaving them perfectly dry, ready to be sold or remelted at once, and the oil may be reused as at first, and be again recovered in a like manner from other metal chips or turnings.

1 do not broadly claim acentrifugal machine, as I know such machines are used in sugarmaking and for drying yarns and fabrics which are of such nature as not to enter into and clog the holes in the centrifugal drum, as would the small hard metal chips.

I claim In a machine for extracting oil from metal chips and turnin gs, the chip-holder having an imperforate shell fiarin g directly upward and outward from the rotatable spindle, combined with the cover, between which and the chipholder the oil is discharged, and the guard, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

In testimony whereof I have signed my 30 name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

' CHARLES F. ROPER.

Witnesses G. M. SPENCER, DANL. MORRELL. 

